Best Pilates Exercises for Stomach

Everybody wishes to have flat stomach, but hormonal changes with age encourage excess calories to start accumulating on your stomach in the form of fat, leading to a bigger belly. Tummy-toning pilates really help when it comes to burning extra flab on your stomach.

Toe Dip

Lie face-up on the floor, with your legs up, knees bent at 90 degrees, so that your thighs are straight up and calves are parallel to the floor. With your hands under your head, press your lower back towards the floor, while keeping your abs contracted.

Now taking a deep breath, lower your right leg for a count of two, dipping the toe toward the floor. Make sure you move the leg only from hip. Exhale and raise your leg, bringing it back to the original position for a count of two. Repeat with your left leg. Do 12 repetitions with each leg for a set.

Leg Circle

Lie on your back with arms at your sides, palms down, and legs extended along the floor. With your foot pointed upwards, slowly raise your right leg towards the ceiling. Hold the position for 10 to 60 seconds. If you are not comfortable with this position, bend your left leg and place your left foot on the floor.

Now give your left leg one complete rotation, making a small circle on the ceiling with the toe. Breath in as you begin making the circle and breath out as you finish. Tighten your abs to make sure you keep the body still and rotate the leg only from the hip. Make six circles with the right leg clockwise, then six anticlockwise for a set. Repeat the same with your left leg.

Rollover

Lie on your back on the floor with your arms at your sides and legs extended along the floor. Join both feet and gradually lift your legs until they are perpendicular to the floor. Keeping your legs straight and shoulders in a relaxed position, slowly raise your hips, moving your legs behind your head as far as you can, for a count of two. Now gradually reverse the movement, returning to the original position. This is one repetition. Repeat this 8 times for a set.

Side Bend

Sit on your left hip so that your left leg is bent and flat in front of you. With your left palm on the floor, place your right foot flat just in front of the left foot in such a position that your right knee is pointing towards the ceiling. Rest your right arm on the right knee.

Now shifting your whole body weight onto your left arm, lift your hips off the floor. Pulling your abdominal muscles, straighten your legs and raise your right arm over your head in such a way that you form a straight line from right fingers to your right foot. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, then lower your body to its original position. Repeat the same on the other side.